Device for adjusting exterior awnings from inside a building



'April 28, 1959 '.1. B. ETzENHoUsER ETAL 2,883,879

DEVICE FQR ADJUSTING EXTERIOR AWNINGS FRC-)M INSIDE A BUILDING Filed Dec. 6, 1955 lll- ' @jm @Mz ATTORNEY United States Patent O DEVICE FOR ADJUSTING EXTERIR AWNNGS FROM INSDE A BUILDING John B. Etzenhouser and Edward L. Moriarty, Santa Ana,

Calif., assignors to Victor Tool & Machine `Corjgioration, St. Joseph, Mich.

Application December 6, 1955, Serial No. 551,437

Claims. (Cl. 74-504) This invention relates to a device for adjusting exterior awnings from inside a building. The principal objects of this invention are:

First, to provide an interior operating device for awnings which is simple and inexpensive to manufacture and install on a building.

Second, to provide novel means for locking an awning control shaft so that the insertion of an operating crank into engagement with the shaft automatically releases the lock.

Third, to provide an awning operating device which can be assembled through the Wall of a building with considerable misalignment between parts without rendering the device inoperative.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be apparent from a consideration of the following description and claims. The drawings of which there is one sheet illustrate a highly practical form of the awning operating device.

Fig. l is a fragmentary exterior perspective View of an awning and the operating device therefor operatively mounted on a building.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary vertical cross sectional view through the operating device and the wall of the building.

Fig. 3 is a transverse cross sectional view taken along the plane of the line 3 3 in Fig. 2, and looking in the direction of the arrows.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary cross sectional View similar to the inner portion of Fig. 2 but illustrating the operating device in unlocked condition.

l-t has previously been disclosed how an exterior awning on a building can be adjusted from the inside of the building by means of a cable and drum mounted on the outside of the building to raise and lower the awning and connected by means of a shaft projecting through the wall of the building to an operating crank for the shaft and drum. lt has further been demonstrated that the shaft extending through the wall can be locked to prevent unwinding of the cable and that the lock can be automatically disengaged by the engagement of an operating crank with the shaft of the device. The present invention performs these functions in a more expeditious manner and with a simplified inexpensive structure.

In Fig. l -there is illustrated an awning 1 mounted on the casing 2 of a window opening 3. The awning is adapted to be raised by means of a control cable 4 trained over a pulley 5 and extended downwardly to a cable drum 6 mounted in Ia drum housing 7. The drum 6 is drivingly connected to a shaft 8 that extends through the wall 9 of the Ibuilding lto a lock and crank supporting fixture 10 mounted on the inside of the wall. An operating crank 11 is releasably and drivingly connected to the shaft 8 as will be described in greater detail.

More specifically the drum housing 7 defines a hori- Zontal chamber 12 open at the Itop as at 13 and within which the cable drum 6 is rotatably mounted. The outer end of the drum 6 is received in a bearing opening 14 in the outer end of the housing and the flange 15 at the 2,883,879 Patented Apr. 28, 1959 inner end of the drum is journalled in the inner end of the housing. A bearing ring 16 of angular cross section radially and axially supports the outer end of the drum 6 while a retaining ring 17 and bearing 18 support the inner end of the drum from the outer surface of the wall 9. Holes 19 drilled from the winding surface of the drum to the exterior end thereof permit threading the end of the cable 4 through the drum in a locking connection without further clamping means between the cable and the drum. The inner end of the housing 7 is provided with a mounting flange 20 secured to the wall by screws 21.

The inner end of the drum 6 has a central axial hole 22 of tapered rectangular cross section formed therein and registering with the hole 23 formed through the wall. The hole 22 non-rotatably receives the outer end of the shaft 8 and permits limited universal movement between the shaft and the drum to accommodate misalignment between the drum and the shaft.

Mounted on the inside of the wall 9 and over the end of the hole 23 is a fixture 10 having a cylindrical cham- Iber 25 formed therein and opening to the wall. Mounting flanges 26 and screws 27 secure the fixture to the wall. Rotatably mounted within the chamber 25 is` a cylindrical connector block 28 desirably formed of synthetic material or other non-metallic material such as hard rubber. The inner end of the block 2S abuts against the end wall 29 of the fixture and a retaining ring 3f) is clamped between the wall 9 and the fixture to retain the connector block axially in place.

The connector block 28 defines a central axial aperture 31 of rectangular or other non-circular cross section and the inner end of the shaft 8 is non-rotatably received in the outer end of the aperture. lt is pointed out that the length of the aperture 31 and the recess 22 in the drum permit considerable variation in the thickness of the wall 1 while maintaining the driving connection between the connector 28 and the drum 6 through the shaft 8.

The end wall 29 of the fixture 1f) defines a central circular crank receiving end bearing opening 32 that is coaxial with the passage 31 and substantially larger in diameter than the width of the passage 31. The surface of the end wall 29 which opens to the chamber 25, further defines a series of angularly spaced lock notches 33 opening axially into the chamber and radially into the bearing opening 32. The connector block 28 has an axially extending bore 34 tformed therein along side of the passage 31 and the bore 34 slidably receives the lock pin 35. A spring 36 biased the pin inwardly from the wall toward the lock notches 33. It will be noted that the pin 35 extends radially across the edge of the opening 32 so as to lie both in the lock notch 33 and the bearing opening. rIhe crank 11 is provided with an enlarged journal portion 37 that slidably and rotatably fits in the bearing opening and an outward projecting square end 38 that removably fits into the passage 31 in the connector block.

When the crank is pressed outwardly with respect to the wall or into the inner end of the fixture 10 the cylindrical journal portion 37 engages the pin 35 to push the pin out of any lock notch 33 in which it may be situated. The crank is then free to turn the connector block 28, shaft 8 and drum 6 to adjust the awning to any desired position. When the crank 11 is withdrawn partially or entirely from the passage 31 the spring 36 automatically urges the pin 35 inwardly into a lock notch to prevent unintentional rotation of the drum under the influence of the weight of the awning applied through the cable 4. The bearing 13 prevents the entrance of moisture into the hole 23 in the wall and the non-metallic character of the block 28 prevents the transmission or leak of heat 3 from the fixture through the hole 23 to the exterior of the wall.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and is desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

l. A lock and shaft supporting xture for an awning operating shaft adapted to be mounted through a wall of a building comprising, a housing having anges at one end adapted to be secured to said wall and defining a cylindrical chamber opening to said one end, an end wall on said housing at the opposite end of said chamber and defining a central crank receiving aperture and bearing, said end wall having lock notches formed in its inner surface opening to said chamber and said bearing aperture, a cylindrical connector block rotatably fitting within said chamber, a retaining ring fitting within the open end of the chamber to be engaged between said wall and said block, an axially extending lock pin slidably fitting in a bore provided therefor in an off-center position in the end of said block with its end overlapping said bearing aperture and said lock notches, and a spring in said bore biasing said pin toward said lock notches, said block having central axial apertures of square cross section in its ends for non-rotatably and removably receiving the ends of a shaft and a crank.

2. A lock and shaft supporting fixture for an awning operating shaft adapted to be mounted through a wall of a building comprising, a housing having iianges at one end adapted to be secured to said wall and defining a cylindrical chamber opening to said one end, an end wall on said housing at the opposite end of said chamber and defining a central crank receiving aperture and bearing, said end wall having lock notches formed in its inner surface opening to said chamber and said bearing aperture, a cylindrical connector block rotatably fitting within said chamber, an axially extending lock pin slidably fitting in a vbore provided therefor in an off-center position in the end of said block with its end overlapping said bearing aperture and said lock notches, and a spring in said bore biasing said pin toward said lock notches, said block having central axial apertures in its ends for nonrotatably and removably receiving the ends of a shaft and a crank.

3. A lock and shaft supporting fixture for an awning operating shaft adapted to be mounted through a wall of a building comprising, a housing having means at one end adapted to be secured to said wall and defining a cylindrical chamber opening to said one end, an end wall on said housing at the opposite end of said chamber and defining a central crank receiving aperture and bearing, said end wall having lock notches formed in its inner surface opening to said chamber and said bearing aperture, a cylindrical connector block rotatably iitting within said chamber, an axially extending lock pin slidably fitting in a bore provided therefor in an off-center position in the end of said block with its end overlapping said bearing aperture and said lock notches, and a spring biasing said pin toward said lock notches, said block having central axial apertures of noncircular cross section in its ends for non-rotatably and removably receiving the ends of a shaft and a crank.

4. A structure of the class described comprising a rotatable driven members provided with a supporting means and having an axially disposed inwardly tapered driving shaft socket of noncircular cross section, a shaft of noncircular cross section drivingly engaged in said tapered socket of said driven member, the taper of the socket being such as to permit positioning of the shaft while in driving engagement with the socket in substantial angular relation to the axis of the driven member, a supporting and driving means for the other end of the shaft comprising a housing having a cylindrical chamber therein, a cylindrical coupling member rotatably mounted within said chamber and provided with a socket at its inner end receiving and having driving engagement with said other end of said shaft, a crank engageable with said coupling member than an outer wall of said housing, and a detent mounted on said coupling member and positioned to be actuated to and retained in disengaged position when the crank is engaged with said coupling member, said housing being provided with keeper means with which said detent automatically engages when the crank is withdrawn and acting to prevent rotation of the coupling member in either direction.

5. A structure of the class described comprising a rotatable driven member provided with a supporting means and having an axially disposed inwardly tapered `driving shaft socket of noncircular cross section, a shaft of noncircular cross section drivingly engaged in said tapered socket of said driven member, the taper of the socket being such as to permit positioning of the shaft while in driving engagement with the socket in substantial angular relation to the axis of the driven member, a supporting and driving means for the other end of the shaft comprising a housing having a cylindrical chamber therein, a cylindrical coupling member rotatably mounted within said chamber and provided with a socket at its inner end receiving and having driving engagement with said other end of said shaft, and a crank engageable with said coupling member through the outer of said housing.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,719,850 Price July 9, 1929 2,524,508 Barnes Oct. 3, 1950 2,588,230 George Mar. 4, 1952 

